I’m really trying to look at fitness for life, i.e. being able to do the things you need to (and perhaps a bit more in case of emergencies) to live well. Someone could be a complete fitness superhero but if they behave like a dick they aren’t really fit for life. They’re just a prick that can run fast.

I picked out four attributes of mental fitness to talk about – morals, stress, reasoning and happiness – they cover the lion’s share of how you think and behave.

Morals seem like the most sensible place to start because they dictate a lot of how you interact with the world. If your moral compass is skewed you will likely cause distress and problems for other people (and yourself) along the way.

Exactly what defines morally good has been debated and argued ever since people started philosophising. I found the study of ethics fascinating when studying for my degree, but assesses whether individual actions are morally good is not really what this series of posts, or blog, is about.

Instead I’m looking for general principles. Simple stuff that can be applied straight away and that will make a difference most of the time, without over-analysis or over-complication.

Fortunately, I think this can be achieved in relation to morals very simply.

It involves just four words – be nice to people.

Think about it. If you are cranky, aggressive or negative you are more likely to spread your misery to other people and make negative decisions that result from your grumpy disposition. People are also much more likely to reflect your bad mood right back at you.

On the flip side, if you are nice to people these things start to reverse. It can even be as simple as smiling and saying please and thank you. People will react better to you and you may start doing a few good deeds (think stop and help rather than rush past).

I’m not naive enough to think this will work all the time, some people are just grumpy and sometimes you are just having a shit day.

But maybe that’s the bit that takes the largest amount of strength (or fitness) – behaving how you know you should when someone (or life in general) is doing the opposite.